The Winter Days event organised by SOOL — the Finnish Union of Students Studying to Become Teachers — is a long-standing tradition. In 2025, the event was held in Helsinki, culminating in a closing party at Metro Areena in Espoo, with Haloo Helsinki as the headline act.

Next Live had the honour of delivering the full technical production for the event, including comprehensive sound reinforcement for the arena, lighting, and everything the performers needed to take the stage throughout the evening. The technical production and the party itself were enjoyed by an audience of 3,500 — with the arena floor completely packed.

Next Live's Head of Production Mico Häsänen, who served as the event's technical producer, describes the production:

"When you're doing an arena show with one of Finland's biggest bands, a lot of things need to work together seamlessly. All the equipment brought in needs to be 'rider-friendly': high quality and capable of delivering a great show. Safety has to be carefully planned in advance, because you're hanging thousands of kilos of lights, sound systems, and stage machinery from the ceiling, and the possibility of anything falling simply cannot exist. The arena runs with riggers, technicians, and drivers across three separate shifts. Even though a production like this has a lot of moving parts, it's always just as amazing to see the end result and realise that the audience is having a great time and everyone is happy. What I personally love is seeing how the whole team lights up when the work lights go off and the show actually begins."

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The production included:

• Full sound reinforcement for an audience of 3,500
• Lighting and rigging (nearly 100 lights hung from the ceiling!)
• All sound technology for the party band and its mixing
• Technical infrastructure required by Haloo Helsinki
• Crowd barrier for the audience
• Complete planning and execution of all technology to ensure a great atmosphere at the party

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Check out how the event was built: